A need has long existed for a reliable, convenient and relatively inexpensive hangar or shelter to protect airplanes and other winged aircraft, such as gliders, from the elements while parked on a flight line or otherwise out of use on the ground.
Currently, the two major existing solutions for sheltering airplanes are covers and structures. Covers, such as simple canvas or plastic tarpaulins, are relatively inexpensive, but suffer from several disadvantages. Covers, being stretched over the wings and body of the airplane, come into contact with exterior surfaces and objects, either causing damage directly or indirectly such as when dust is entrapped in the cover and wind causes the cover to flutter on the aircraft surface. This can cause scratching and other damage to polished and/or painted surfaces, as well as causing damage to external objects such as antennae, which can lead to unsafe operating conditions. Further, covers are often difficult for a single person to properly drape and secure over the airplane, which is very inconvenient for pilots flying solo. Additionally, covers tend to be form fitting over the airplane, making it difficult or even impossible to perform maintenance or safety checks or to enter the aircraft. Even further, a cover must be removed and properly stored each time the airplane is to be used, then replaced over the airplane when the airplane is returned to the flight line, adding to the time and effort required to otherwise enjoy flying. Pilots end up making several significant sacrifices in order to save on the initial investment in a cover.
While structures, such as traditional hangar buildings offer one-time setup, they also suffer from several disadvantages. Buildings are generally non-portable, while with some cover designs, the hangar can be moved to other locations. Structures require much more in the way of design, floor plans, materials and assembly labor than a cover, and are therefore much more expensive to produce. Further, they often require a building foundation, depending on the type of soil, and are not easily constructed except by professionals. Additionally, prior designs have complicated wing-spanning trusses or arches which are both expensive and difficult for the individual plane owner to assemble.
Due to the inconvenience of covers and the expense of structures, many airplane owners may opt to forego sheltering their airplanes, leaving them unprotected from the elements, leading to excessive deterioration of exterior surfaces and equipment. Undetected, the resulting corrosion could, in time, lead to catastrophic alteration of the airfoil surfaces, causing dangerous flying conditions. Exposure to the elements is also damaging to aircraft interiors, avionics and electronics.
What is needed is a low-cost structure that includes the advantages of a cover. Such a structure should be relatively easy to assemble without professional assistance, substantially cover an airplane to protect it from the elements, and still permit convenient access to the airplane for various purposes. Such a structure is provided in the instant invention.
Consequently, a novel airplane shelter is described herein which enhances a structure with the best features of a cover. In order to achieve the advantages of this airplane shelter, a substantially rigid skeletal frame has been invented that, with the use of a unique cantilever structure, provides connections and support for cables and material to enclose and protect an airplane. A plurality of arched vertical support members are arranged axially along a line corresponding to the fuselage of an airplane to be sheltered. The line extends from essentially the trailing edge of the airplane's wings to a point at or just past the trailing edge of the airplane's tail assembly. A cantilever beam is attached to the apex of each arched vertical support member, forming a “spine” along the top of the aligned arched support members.
The cantilever beam is attached at one end to the rearwardmost arched support member, and the opposite end extends forwardly past the forwardmost arched support member to a point corresponding to the forwardmost point of an airplane to be sheltered. Separate lateral support members are placed at points corresponding to the wingtips of the airplane to be sheltered. The result is an open skeletal frame that defines a volume that is capable of enclosing an airplane.
A covering material is placed over the open skeletal frame and stretched taut, by attachment to the extreme elements of the skeletal frame, covering all of the arched vertical support members, the cantilever beam, and the open space between the forwardly-extending portion of the cantilever beam and the two lateral support members adjacent to each wingtip of the airplane to be sheltered. The covering material is attached to both of the lateral support members. Cables may be attached between the cantilever beam and the lateral support members to provide additional support for the covering material.
The resulting structure, in top plan view, resembles an arrow, where the shaft of the arrow houses the airplane fuselage, and the arrowhead houses the wings, cockpit, and nose of the airplane. The forwardmost end of the cantilever beam can be secured by a rope, chain, or rigid member or similar element attached to a point on the ground to prevent excessive motion and to keep the material taut in the direction between lateral support members across the cantilever beam. Additional covering material may optionally be used to provide door flaps and/or walls. The elements of the invention may optionally be provided in a kit for assembly by an airplane owner.
As will be seen in the following description and drawings, the claimed invention provides an airplane shelter which combines the low cost and easy assembly of a cover, while also providing the sturdy construction and ability to access the airplane found in structures. The use of a central cantilever beam and small lateral support members, instead of expensive vertical walls and horizontal ceiling structures, to support a covering material provides sufficient shelter to protect an airplane from the elements while still allowing sufficient access to the airplane for loading, unloading, maintenance, and other purposes.